Middleboro officer who ran town meeting security would benefit from casino land deal

Tuesday

Jul 31, 2007 at 12:01 AMJul 31, 2007 at 2:35 PM

A police lieutenant who was in charge of security for Saturday's town meeting could share in $2 million or more if family property is sold for the casino

By Kyle Alspach

A town police lieutenant, who was in charge of security for Saturday's town meeting that approved a casino for Middleboro, and his family could score more than $2 million if the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe buys land they own near the casino site.

Middleboro Police Lt. Bruce Gates and two siblings own 204 acres of land off Precinct and Thompson streets. The land consists of a handful of parcels, which abut 125 acres already in the hands of the tribe.

The tribe is now negotiating with Gates and his family for their land, said Wampanoag spokesman Scott Ferson.

"We hope to have an agreement in the next week or two," Ferson said.

The tribe is negotiating to acquire an option for the Gates' land, not to actually buy the property. The sale will only be closed if the tribe's casino plan gets the necessary go-ahead from the federal government, Ferson said.

The Wampanoags, with the financial backing of investor Trading Cove Associates, also have agreements for another 200 acres of land near Route 44, where they plan to build a $1 billion resort casino. If they acquire the Gates' property, it will bring the proposed casino site to 525 acres.

Gates and his two siblings, Cheryl Gates Kutzy and Wendy Gates Sousa, are the owners of the land. They acquired most of it in 1992 for one dollar from Harold and Myrtle Gates, according to documents filed in the Registry of Deeds.

As a senior police official, Bruce Gates handled security operations at the town meeting last Saturday that approved a deal to bring the casino to Middleboro.

Gates also sat on the planning committee for the town meeting. He did not return a message Tuesday.

Middleboro Town Clerk Eileen Gates, who is not related to the police lieutenant, said she believes he took extra care to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest with his position.

"He made sure he was not inside the cafeteria (at town meeting) when the vote tallies were being taken. He did not want to be anywhere near there," Eileen Gates said. "He made sure to avoid the impression of a conflict."

The Massachusetts Ethics Commission declined to comment on any potential conflict, as did Jim Reynolds, co-director of the casino opposition group CasinoFacts.

Trading Cove Associates, which is the developer behind Mohegan Sun and other casinos, would hold the option on the Gates' land. The company already holds an option to buy about 200 acres from the Striar family, Ferson said.

The company also owns outright 125 acres purchased in June from the town of Middleboro for $1.8 million.

For the Gates' land, Ferson would not comment on the price being negotiated.
But at the rate used in the purchase from the town of Middleboro - $14,400 per acre - the Gates' land could fetch $2.9 million.

Last Saturday, residents voted 2,387 to 1,335 to approve the town's deal with the Wampanoags, which could bring $11 million a year to the town if the casino opens.

Kyle Alspach of The Enterprise (Brockton, Mass.) can be reached at kalspach@enterprisenews.com